It changed my life forever!

Nassau, Bahamas Mission Trip – It changed my life forever!

Last winter I was extremely doubtful this trip would become a reality. We had planned on going to Monterrey, Mexico to teach little children the gospel message through the means of a colored soccer ball. I was so excited to finally use my Spanish speaking skills and truly carry out the Great Commission:

Matthew 28:19-20

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

Unfortunately, my parents were becoming increasingly worried due to the "drug wars" occurring throughout Mexico. As they watched the news explain random American kidnappings and murders, they would not let their only daughter risk her life just for one week of mission work. I saw their point of view, but was too eager to think clearly. And plus, if I died, I'd go to Heaven. I really didn't see where the problem was… But I was being selfish. My parents, family, and friends would be devastated, and it was not worth it to take that large of a risk – regardless of what the Great Commission said. I'm only 16 years old!

So I prayed about it. God is always faithful and true to His promises, according to His perfect and glorious plan. He would not let my enthusiasm dwindle. No. He just had something different in store for me… After my parents kept sending e-mail after e-mail of news stories regarding Mexico and some specifically Monterrey, my youth pastor called for an emergency meeting. You see, we had a back-up plan! Well, God did. J For the safety and well-being of the youth group mission adventurers, we decided it would be best to move the trip to a different location. Since we didn't want to miss out on the "foreign country" experience, we booked flights to Nassau, Bahamas!

None of us really had a clue what we'd be doing in Nassau. Actually, we didn't fully find out until we got there! At first we were told we would be building and repairing houses for Haiti refugees that fled to the Bahamas. Then we were informed we would be working at an orphanage with children kindergarten through 6th grade. We assumed we would be repairing the orphanage and doing a sort of VBS (vacation Bible school) with the children. When we arrived at the hotel, we learned that we would be painting the orphanage. And when we finally got to the orphanage, we discovered they were not "little" kids. The youngest was 8 and most were between 13 and 15 years old! We were surprised to be working with children our own age, but God used this as an advantage to connecting with the kids.

We painted the orphanage Monday through Friday 10 in the morning till 3 in the afternoon! It felt like such an accomplishment when we finally finished painting the entire exterior of the building. From 3 to 4:30, we played with the kids and got to know them. On Wednesday, we had 4 hours with them due to an orphanage meeting. During this time, we had a gigantic water balloon fight! We met many new children and got to know most of them on a first name basis. Throughout the week, some even helped us paint! We used this opportunity to talk to them about God and learn about their circumstance. These kids felt alone, rejected, and abandoned. Some had 8 or 9 siblings and their parents just couldn't take care of them. Others had deceased parents and some were in the hospital, paralyzed or diseased. There were a few "outcasts" of society – thrown into an orphanage by their family because of mental illnesses. Yet, with all of these feelings of anger and confusion, these kids were still quick to love. This shocked me most of all.

We would arrive at the orphanage and immediately kids would run up to the bus and once we stepped foot we would be drowned in hugs! I have never experienced so many hugs at once! Everyone was so friendly and yet they had nothing. They weren't allowed money of their own and were bored most of the day. Most stayed in their dark rooms sleeping the day away. When we got there, everyone was watching movies from portable DVD players – the only technology they were really allowed. What a monotonous, boring life! I felt so sorry for those children. The adult workers didn't treat them very lovingly, either. For the most part, their lives were void of any love! God sent us there to try and show them His love – because only God's love can fill the void in all our hearts. Yes, they were fatherless, but God is the perfect Father. Yes, they had enough food to eat, but most were unaware that Jesus is the bread of life – that truly satisfies all hunger. Yes, they had a roof over their heads, but God is the ultimate shelter and place of refuge. He comforts all!

John 10:10

"I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

I was expecting God to give me opportunities to witness to the kids and share the gospel with them. Although He did let me share the gospel message with everyone on the last day, He had a separate and unexpected mission for me. You see, during the water balloon fight on Wednesday, I met this 14 year old boy named Damian. I asked him to come paint with me on Friday and he agreed. We started talking and found that we had so much in common! For example, he had a dog named Shadow and I had a dog named Midnight, both completely black with white chests and paws. Anyway, we had many similar interests, but most importantly, we were both Christians!

I was praying for courage to talk to the kids about God all week, and I finally got the chance. God gave me boldness and bravery to ask Damian if he "considered" himself a Christian. He said, yes and went into detail as why. This guy had seriously committed his life to Christ! I was enthusiastic and shared my testimony with him. Supposedly, he once memorized the entire book of Philippians – my favorite book of the Bible! As I was talking to this brother in Christ, we shared each others' hopes, dreams, and struggles. I told him about how I lost my only friend in 6th grade because I had tried to share my faith with her. Little did I know, he was struggling with the same issue! He explained how he was very lonely and didn't have many friends because of his faith. The orphanage is a Christian orphanage. All of the children are required to attend church every Sunday. All of them have heard the gospel message and understands the concepts. However, few actually consider themselves Christians. Few live their lives for Jesus. And those few are persecuted! God used me in the most unexpected way by encouraging Damian to share his faith despite the persecution. I encouraged him to pray for courage and told him I am convinced God put him in that orphanage for a reason – to be a light in that dark place and proclaim the good news. He looked at me with a skeptical look and doubted that! I told him I am and would continue to pray for him. I shared so many experiences and stories and told him about my blog. At the end of the day, after many pictures, I gave him my e-mail and told him to get a Facebook. I haven't contacted him yet, but he remains in my prayers.

I am so thankful God gave me such a great opportunity and learning experience. It taught me that witnessing and carrying out the Great Commission as a Christian is important, but only half the importance. The other half is encouraging each other, as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Hebrews 3:13

^"But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness."

God even proved his point to me while on the airplane. He purposely sat me next to a born-again Christian woman from the Bahamas on her way to Atlanta for a shopping trip. She and I also had so much in common! I desire to major in communications, which she majored in! She's a counselor at a Bahamian university and gave me advice on my future. She encouraged me by telling me God would use me to do great things in life and how I would be very successful. She told me that all of us impacted those children's lives at the orphanage in more ways then we'll ever know. We both agreed that God placed us seated together on that airplane for a reason. It was the perfect way to end my mountain top experience. I will never forget this trip. It has impacted me so much. I feel blessed. God has blessed me and my family with so much! I have parents who love me dearly, and yet take advantage of them. I take for granted my family and my God. I am so fortunate to have the God of the universe as a best friend. I am so thankful to know that my eternity is in Heaven, in fellowship with Jesus Christ, the Savior of my life. My desire is that each of those children might experience that and know that God loves them. My desire is that Damian and the other few Christians might be encouraged to be bold and pray for courage. My desire is that I will use this experience to be a better daughter, sister, friend, and follower of Christ.

Psalm 36:5-7

Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens,
your faithfulness to the skies.

Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains,
your justice like the great deep.
O LORD, you preserve both man and beast.

How priceless is your unfailing love!
Both high and low among men
find refuge in the shadow of your wings.

-All nature pictures taken by Bubbly ;) in Nassau, Bahamas. Pictures of orphanage kids with me taken by youth group friends or other orphanage kids.

Nassau Mission Trip

Facebook status today:

PRAY for my mission trip to Nassau, Bahamas! Well, God's mission trip- I'm just His humble servant. :) I will be working at an orphanage. I'm praying that God will equip me with every good work, so that I can fully carry out His will - giving all the glory to God, serving Him and others, loving everyone with compassion, and finally spreading the gospel of peace, that brings indescribable joy and comfort.

The words "equip for every good work" kept popping in my mind the past week. I finally decided to look up the reference and found this:

2 Timothy 3:16-17

"All Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

I don't know exactly what I'll be doing down there, but now I can be confident that God's plan will work out, and I am equipped for every good work, because I feed daily on God's Word. :)

Details on adventure of a lifetime mission trip to follow.... ;)

-Nassau, Bahamas picture from Google.

YELLOW! Part TWO of "Hear my prayer"

I just updated my blog's template! It's YELLOW!!! :) I am obsessed with that color. ;) Anyway... I promised I would provide a solution to the "to be continued..." on the previous post "Hear my prayer." I probably shouldn't have said that... because I kind of forget. But, I will be brief and explain what God taught me. He never ceases to discipline His children!

The following is a repeat of what I had just mentioned:

"Friday I was the modern-teenage-girl Job. I was officially SICK. God told me to take a step back from my busy life (again... see "Tragedy of the Busy Life" and "Voiceless") and TRUST HIM. I wanted to hold on... thinking I had it under control. I told myself I was doing the "Christian" thing by praying and "trusting" God. But was I really? Only when you've completely surrendered can you actually fully, without holding back, trust God with all your heart, mind, and soul. I may have felt like Job, but God worked His peace and miracles like He always does. ;) I just had no idea what I was getting myself into... (to be continued...) "

It's funny how God uses irony as humor... This was my facebook status on May 27th:

The true test of faith is to keep trusting God even when your life is on the edge of collapsing into obliteration. Bring it on God, cause' you're looking at the modern-day Job. Nothing can tear apart this relationship!

Notice how I said, "Bring it on God." NEVER say this unless you are fully prepared to get it. God keeps His promises and answers prayers. Yep. Next thing you know...

I had MONO. For those of you who don't know my long history of "diseases" this was just another one to check off the list! :P I have now experienced bronchitis, pneumonia, losing my voice completely, mono, strep, the chicken pox, the flu, and probably a couple dozen more "common colds" that seem to always find me. WHY do I have these problems? Because I don't listen to God. :( I'm too busy living my life the way I want to and think others expect of me. Like the acronym my friend shared with me, BUSY is just another word for BEING UNDER SATAN'S YOKE!

Being Under Satan's Yoke

This is SO true! How are we supposed to be followers of Christ and expect God's peace to come into our lives when we tell Him, "Sorry, I'm too busy to listen to you!" It's basically a slap in the face to God. You're telling Him that your schedule is more important than prayer time and Bible time or church. Lately, I've learned a lot about prayer! It seems like a pointless waste of time, right? Why talk to God when He already knows your problems and what to say? Well, a poem I read in the book by Elizabeth George "A Young Woman's Call to Prayer" explained everything crystal clear (and that book! It helped immensely - I highly recommend it!).

"The Difference Prayer Makes"

I got up early one morning
And rushed right into the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I didn't take time to pray.

Problems just tumbled about me,
And heavier came each task;
"Why doesn't God help me?" I wondered.
He answered: "You didn't ask."

I wanted to see joy and beauty -
But the day toiled on, gray and bleak;
I wondered why God didn't show me,
He said, "But you didn't seek."

I tried to come into God's presence,
I used all my keys at the lock;
God gently and lovingly chided:
"My child, you didn't knock."

I woke up early this morning
And paused before entering the day;
I had so much to accomplish
That I had to take time to pray.

(author unknown)

God knew exactly what He was doing when He got me sick with Mono. This lasted for about a whole week (and I'm still tired from it!). I slept 20 hours daily for 3 days in a row. I was so sick of sleeping that I specifically wanted to go on strike. This was my facebook status:

Mono... :P I never thought there would be a day when I said, "I AM SICK AND TIRED OF SLEEPING!!!" I seriously just want to boycott my body's need for sleep. When can I actually do my homework?!?

I seriously wanted to do homework I was so sick of sleeping! Anyway, God used this opportunity to get me to RELAX (sort of... at least for a few days) and read the book my friend let me borrow on prayer (by Elizabeth George). I am soooooo glad I did!


Here are some excerpts from my prayer journal on May 30th, when I was at home and sick with Mono (Not to mention I was missing so many fun graduation parties!! :( I figure it's part of God's punishment.... but at the end of the day, I was GLAD He did!)

Just because I'm sick with Mono doesn't mean I have to neglect my prayer life. I'm sorry. Now I see why I'm sick! Lord, you've just been waiting for me to breathe and relax so I can pray and read and include you as a part of my EVERYDAY - whether I'm sick or not... I don't even deserve to talk to you... I'm just frustrated - physically, emotionally, and spiritually... Lord I'm just a mess! Give me wisdom so I can do better at this challenging game called life. You tell me not to worry over 300 times in your Word, yet I end up worrying about worry. Talk about the knot this child has gotten herself into. Lord, school is almost over, yet I've procrastinated to the extent of having 15-20 hours of homework, which I can't even do because I'm sick. HELP! I need you. Isn't the first step realizing you need help? Well I need all the help you can give me Lord! Let me come to you in everything with prayer and petition, so that you can guard my heart and mind in you Jesus - bring me peace that transcends all understanding. Give my family the love they've been so desperately searching for. Heal my sickly body. Eliminate my stress. And let your will be done. I love you Lord. Even when I'm sick I will praise your name! Because I know I would be nothing without you. You are mighty and holy Father. Thank-you.
~Love, Bubbly <3

As you can see, God was definitely working in my heart that day, and the following days! I didn't have enough energy to do homework (not to mention my mind was still a little "out of it"...) and God gave me the desire to read. What else could I do? Again, I was trying to "boycott" sleeping! :P And guess what comes next? God worked it all out, for His glory and for my comfort, according to His plan. First, He needed to teach me another lesson. I might regret saying this, but it's late and I need to pack for my Nassau, Bahamas mission trip on Saturday. Goodnight! :) To be continued...

-YELLOW flower picture found on Google. Second yellow flower picture also from Google.

Hear my prayer

Last week was traumatizing. I don't recall ever feeling so hopelessly sad, stressed, and sick! The problem was most likely due to the dangerous combination of the three. The escalation (as there always is!) hit the high on Wednesday (is there some sort of connection between the middle of the week and stress? see "New Perspective" post). Never in my life have I had such a chaotic, interminable week. It felt like it would last a lifetime...

I came home from an already bad day of school (I took a terrible math test... a D+ was actually higher than I expected! :P), when my father informed me of some heartbreaking news about my brother. He was in the hospital and very sick. My life seemed to be hanging on a thread and the only thing that mattered at that moment was prayer. I prayed my heart out to God! Like never before, I prayed when I couldn't find the words - the Holy Spirit accomplished the rest. My strange lack of words resulted in music. Without a violin, I decided to use my other two instruments - the piano and my God-given voice. I had an out of tune piano (15 years...), a pen and paper, and my mediocre singing. Add a confused and frightened child of God to the recipe and you've got an extremely melancholy, but sweet and genuine song called "Hear my prayer." Here are the lyrics and "chords" (I didn't actually write notes... just the letters of the notes and I improvise on which octaves).

Hear my prayer

Dedicated to God,

and my brother "Steve"

mi hermanito Juanito! ;)

D A D A D D E AEEA D G D G B D

I don't understand.

D A G F G C E

Why could this happen?

D G F E A D

Why to me?

D A D A D A

A E A A A G F G D G A E

Lord, give me strength.

A E A D F E D A D

Lord, hear my prayer.

D A D

D E C A G F D G

Cause' I'm crying out.

D E C A G F A E D D A

Cause' I can't find the words to say.

A E A C B A C B A C B A C B A G B F A

A E A C B A C B A C B A C B A G B F A

A E A C B A C B A C B A C B A G B F A

D A D F A C B A A E A E G

In this world

E D E B E C E

There is pain

E D F C F C E

There are tears

E C A E A

There is sin.

D E A F A E A D

But I know there's hope.

D F G D F A G C E A

And I will trust my God

D F D F A E A D

And I know He cares.

D A D A D A D A D A D A D

Psalm 6:8-9 for the LORD has heard my weeping. The LORD has heard my cry for mercy; the LORD accepts my prayer.

Psalm 17:1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry. Give ear to my prayer— it does not rise from deceitful lips.

Psalm 39:12 Hear my prayer, O LORD, listen to my cry for help; be not deaf to my weeping.

Psalm 84:8 Hear my prayer, O LORD God Almighty; listen to me, O God of Jacob.

Psalm 86:1-3 Hear, O LORD, and answer me, for I am poor and needy. Guard my life, for I am devoted to you. You are my God; save your servant who trusts in you. Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I call to you all day long.

Psalm 86:5-7 You are forgiving and good, O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.

Psalm 102:1 Hear my prayer, O LORD; let my cry for help come to you.

Psalm 143:1 O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief.

Proverbs 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

Luke 11:1 Lord, teach us to pray.

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

Matthew 7:7-8 Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Luke 18:1 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up.

Romans 12:12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Ephesians 6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

1 Peter 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray continually.

The previous verses (sorry if that was too many... I went a little crazy from the trauma) are all of the verses that dealt with prayer and God hearing my prayer. I needed encouragement from the only ONE who knows it all - GOD. ;) I prayed for peace for me and my family and God wasn't skimpy. He gave me plenty peace for the matter - enough for me to go to school and concentrate on my final projects! Little did I know, I got sick the next day...

Thursday I was on the verge of becoming Job. I wasn't quite there, but God was seriously testing me! I had a sore throat, boat loads of homework, and I was informed that my FCA sponsor/leader/coach/teacher was moving to Illinois next school year! He is such an encouragement at my high school and an "on-fire for Jesus Christian." His room is literally the only safe-haven! When all else fails, I go to his room, talk things out, and ask him to pray. And next year is my senior year! I wanted it to be perfect. I've been in FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes) for all of my four years of high school. What was I going to do? Well, I wasn't going to do anything, I would leave it all up to my maker. Cause' I know He's got it figured out. But seriously, God was TESTING ME!!! It's as if He took everything in my life, put it in a box, and randomly shook it until I exploded. But, reality told me He carefully planned out every inch of my life to transform me into the mature, humble, caring, and dedicated Christian.

Friday I was the modern-teenage-girl Job. I was officially SICK. God told me to take a step back from my busy life (again... see "Tragedy of the Busy Life" and "Voiceless") and TRUST HIM. I wanted to hold on... thinking I had it under control. I told myself I was doing the "Christian" thing by praying and "trusting" God. But was I really? Only when you've completely surrendered can you actually fully, without holding back, trust God with all your heart, mind, and soul. I may have felt like Job, but God worked His peace and miracles like He always does. ;) I just had no idea what I was getting myself into... (to be continued...)

-"drunk piano keys" found on Google. I thought this was appropriate because it not only symbolizes my piano song, but also my life last week. It was nothing short of chaotic and completely turned upside down!